Color Scheme:
Delivery Colors, "First Over The Pole – Around The World"

Registration:
SK-SAS, "Dan Viking"

Composition:
A Restored Douglas Factory Polished Aluminum
Model

Dimensions:
Length: 24.5″ (62cm), Wingspan 23.5″ (60cm)

Condition:
Excellent

Model History:
This is an Original Douglas Factory Model which was produced in
the late 1950s or early 1960s by the Douglas Aircraft Model Shop
/ Marketing Aids. I acquired it on March 25, 2002 from my Good
Friend Jim Powroznik who had found it at a toy/model show. Thank
You Jim for Watching Out For Me! When I bought this model
it needed some minor paint restoration – especially around the
nose. Once again I’m very lucky that my
partner, Bob Sanford, restored it for me and did an Outstanding
Job – Thank You Bob!

SAS’s
DC-8 History: Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) was created
on August 1, 1946 by the merger of the Danish National Airline
– Danske Luftfartselskap AB (DDL), the Norwegian National Airline
– Det Norske Luftfartselskap (DNL) and the two Swedish Airlines
– Aktiebolaget Aerotransport (ABA) & Svensk Intercontinental
Lufttraffik (SLA). Initially SAS was named OSAS & was mandated
to fly just the Overseas routes (thus putting the ‘O’ in the name
OSAS) for the 3 Scandinavian Countries while each country’s airlines
would feed the overseas carrier. However, this idea didn’t last,
the ‘O’ was quickly dropped from the airline’s name and the SAS
name was used both for domestic (internal) services and international
(overseas) services. SAS (like KLM, Swissair, Alitalia & most
other of Western Europe’s Flag Carriers) was a very loyal customer
to Douglas Aircraft and utilized the DC-3, DC-4, DC-6 & DC-7C
in their propliner fleet during the 1940s & 1950s. Thus, when
it was time to enter the Jet Age, SAS decided to go with the DC-8
as their long range jetliner in the 1960s. SAS operated several
different variants of the DC-8 including passenger only, passenger/cargo
combination and cargo only aircraft. In fact, SAS was the launch
customer for the DC-8-62 ultra long range airliner which could
easily fly from the Scandinavian Countries to the USA’s West Coast
nonstop with a full payload. SAS also had the distinction of receiving
the last Douglas DC-8 built – a DC-8-63, registered SE-DBL, on
May 12, 1972. Click Here to
See SAS’s DC-8 Fleet Information. SAS flew their DC-8s in
two very different paint schemes. The first one, which was used
on all of their Factory DC-8 Deliveries, had a stylized bow of
a Viking Ship at the forward end of the blue cheat line near the
cockpit and the 3 flags of the nations that SAS represents at
the rear end of the cheat line near the tail (as shown in the
model above).The second (& final) paint scheme was adopted
in the early 1980s and has an all white fuselage with stripes
from the colors of the 3 nation’s flags sweeping underneath the
front of the fuselage and the 3 flags of the nations at the rear
– near the tail. SAS was also helpful in assisting Thai International
Airlines in establishing their long haul jet services with the
DC-8. Later, with the introduction of the wide body 747 &
DC-10 aircraft SAS "passed on" some of their DC-8 fleet
to their subsidiary Scanair for charter work and thus extended
the DC-8’s life with the Scandinavian Airlines. The DC-8 served
SAS & Scanair’s requirements well for over 27 years – from
1960 to 1987. Today, despite pressures from worldwide airline
deregulation which has forced some of the proud, old flag carriers
into bankruptcy or forced merger, SAS continues to fly an extensive
route network throughout Scandinavia & the World. One final
note, which may be of interest, SAS is one of the few airlines
in the world to register their aircraft fleet in three different
countries. Aircraft registrations begin with ‘OY’ for Denmark,
‘SE’ for Sweden and ‘LN’ for Norway with approximately 1/3 of
the fleet registered in each country.